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Found Hiding Under Sink

OCEAN CITY- A Powellville man was arrested on an open warrant following a brief foot chase by resort police after which he was found hiding under a bathroom sink.

Around 6 p.m. last Thursday, an OCPD officer on routine patrol in an unmarked car around 4th Street observed a Chevy Cavalier with a man behind the wheel he knew as Edward J. Zisk, 40, of Powellville. The officer knew Zisk was wanted on outstanding warrants and also knew that his license was suspended and revoked.

The officer tailed Zisk around the block before pulling in front of his vehicle and activating the emergency lights. Zisk then fled on foot between two houses. The officer drove around the block in an attempt to head off Zisk, but did not see the suspect. The officer than called for back-up for the search and additional officers arrived including a K-9 unit with the K-9 dog “Semper.”

The initial officer contacted the property manager for the nearby apartments and gained permission to search the vacant units. With the help of “Semper,” the officers were able to find Zisk in one of the units hiding under a bathroom vanity. He was taken into custody without further incident and was held on the bench warrant. He was also charged with attempting to flee and elude police as well as traffic violations related to his suspended and revoked driver’s license.

Three Nabbed for Stealing Scooters

OCEAN CITY- Three local men were arrested last week on felony theft charges after getting nabbed stealing three scooters from in front of a resort residence.

Shortly after 3 a.m. last Thursday, an OCPD officer responded to a residence on Plover Drive in Ocean City in reference to a theft that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the officer met with a witness who told police he had observed the occupants of a light-colored pick-up truck steal three motor scooters that were parked in front of a nearby residence. The witness told police he saw the truck pull away with the three scooters in the truck bed.

The witness showed police were the scooters had been and the officer discovered a cut cable lock and the broken part of a key. The officer then made contact with the owner of the scooters who described them and placed their combined value at around $6,300.

A short time later, another officer noticed a pick-up matching the description riding on Coastal Highway around 59th Street with handle bars sticking out of the back. The officer pulled over the truck and spoke to the driver, later identified as Stephen William Kolarik, 19, of Bishopville, who told police he had stolen the scooter and two others along with John Mark Ochse, 19, of Ocean City, and Trevor Harrison Frederick, 18, of Berlin. Kolarik also gave police the address of the two other suspects on Bayshore Drive and that he knew the location of the other two stolen scooters on Robin Drive.

The officer transported Kolarik to Bayshore Drive to identify Ochse and Frederick. At first, the pair denied any involvement in the thefts, but upon further questioning, Frederick admitted he had participated in the thefts. Frederick also told police the location of the other two stolen scooters and they were soon recovered. All three suspects were charged with three counts each of felony theft over $500.

Significant Drug Bust in Berlin

BERLIN- A Berlin man was busted with a significant amount of marijuana and cocaine last week after getting caught going the wrong way on Flower Street.

Around 4 p.m. last Monday, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a vehicle driven by Christopher Todd Lewis, 21, of Berlin going the wrong way on Flower Street. When the officer pulled the vehicle over, he interviewed Lewis who was clearly nervous with his hands shaking. The officer also noticed the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The officer then initiated a probable cause search of the vehicle and a cooperative Lewis told him he would find illegal drugs in the center console. The search revealed 149 grams of marijuana in four different plastic bags and four grams of cocaine. A further search revealed a small digital scale and a stack of unused plastic baggies as well as a substantial amount of cash.

Lewis was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute narcotics and possession of paraphernalia. He was held on a $50,000 bond.

Armed Robber Acquitted

SNOW HILL- A Salisbury man accused of holding up a convenience store at gunpoint was acquitted of all charges last week when the judge dropped the case citing a lack of evidence against the suspect before a jury could hear the case.

Tyrone Dale, 45, of Salisbury was arrested in January and charged with armed robbery, assault and theft after police tracked him to a Pocomoke motel. Last week in Circuit Court, Dale appeared to face the charges but the case was tossed out before a jury was presented the evidence against him.

According to police reports, around 11 p.m. on January 5, the clerk at the Duck In convenience store in Pocomoke was conducting routine closing procedures when an unidentified man confronted her with a gun, forced her at gunpoint to go behind the counter and open the cash register before fleeing with the paper currency. Store surveillance cameras captured good clothing and overall size descriptions of the suspect, a black male, while another employee reported a suspicious dark-colored Jaguar in the parking lot prior to the crime. The vehicle was captured by surveillance cameras leaving the store just after the armed robbery.

Police searched the area and discovered an abandoned Jaguar at the old Seahawk Sports Center. A check of the plates revealed the car had been reported stolen in Salisbury on January 1. While waiting for crime technicians to process the stolen car, police decided to check nearby motels for any late-night guests arriving on foot. Their search revealed a suspect, later identified as Tyrone Dale, 45, of Salisbury had just checked into the Pocomoke Inn and was in room 214.

When police encountered Dale in the room, his clothing and size matched the description of the armed robber. Under questioning, Dale appeared nervous and changed his story several times. A wanted check revealed Dale was being sought by the MSP Berlin barrack for forgery and uttering.

A search of the area revealed the stolen money and clothes matching the description provided by the surveillance tapes in a nearby trashcan. Dale was then arrested and charged with armed robbery, first-degree assault and kidnapping.

Stiff Sentence for Drug Dealer

SNOW HILL- A Snow Hill woman arrested on drug distribution charges last September after getting nabbed in a cooperative sting operation by the Ocean City Police Department and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office pleaded guilty this week to a possession with intent to distribute cocaine charge and was sentenced to four years in jail with all but 18 months suspended.

On September 1 of last year, Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped a vehicle on Hall Rd. near Route 50 in reference to a joint drug investigation between the sheriff’s office and the OCPD narcotics unit. The passenger in the vehicle, Georgianna Shockley, 35, of Snow Hill, was wanted by the OCPD on an outstanding arrest warrant for distribution of cocaine, and prior to stopping the vehicle, OCPD detectives made arrangements to purchase cocaine from her at Hall Rd.

After the stop, Shockley was arrested and charged with distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Meanwhile, the driver of the vehicle, identified as Ricky Anthony Johnson, of Snow Hill, was found with 23 individually wrapped bags of cocaine and crack cocaine as well as nearly $1,400 in cash. Johnson was also arrested and charged with possession and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

This week in Circuit Court, Shockley pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine and was sentenced to four years in jail with all but 18 months suspended. She was also fined $500 and placed on two years probation. Johnson is scheduled to appear in Circuit Court in June.

17 Days for Pot Possession Plea

SNOW HILL- An Ocean City man arrested last October on drug possession charges after resort police pulled over he and a friend for riding tandem on a moped pleaded guilty last week to possession of marijuana and was sentenced to 17 days in jail.

Last October 11, an OCPD officer on patrol around 8th Street observed a man, later identified as James Rechterman, 43, of Ocean City, walking down the middle of Baltimore Ave. The officer circled around and saw Rechterman now on the back of a moped being driven by Joshua Marlowe, 48, of Ocean City.

The officer observed the moped with the two men aboard run a red light at 8th Street and initiated a traffic stop. The officer told them why they were stopped. Marlowe told the officer he just decided to go through the red light. While Marlowe was searching his pockets for his driver’s license, the officer observed a bulge in his pants pocket.

When asked what the square bulge was, Marlowe told the officer it was his pack of cigarettes, but later produced a small wooden box known as a “one-hitter” with marijuana residue in it. When asked if he had any other narcotics on him, Marlowe said he was in possession of some pain killers. The painkillers were identified as oxycodone and vicoden. Marlowe was arrested for possession of marijuana and illegal pain killers.

Meanwhile, Rechterman had been told he could leave when a background check came back negative, but when the drugs were found on Marlowe, Rechterman was brought back for further questioning.

Rechterman agreed to a search of his person, and the officer located some of the same illegal pain killers found on Marlowe. Rechterman was also arrested and charged with possession of illegal pain killers.

Suspect in Resort Drug Raid Gets Jail Time

SNOW HILL- An Ocean City man who was one of three suspects arrested in a search and seizure service at a downtown apartment last December was found guilty this week of possession of cocaine and was sentenced to 90 days in jail with all but 10 suspended.

Last December 15, resort police detectives arrived with a search and seizure warrant at the residence on Philadelphia Ave. and found three suspects listed on the warrant, Michael John Murphy, 52, of Pocomoke, Mark Anthony Holland, 44, and Patricia Joan Alimo, 36, both of Ocean City in a common area of the building.

During the search, police located a smoking device containing suspected crack cocaine, a cigarette pack containing a small amount of crack cocaine, suspected powder cocaine on a counter top and several items used to ingest crack cocaine. All three were taken into custody and charged with various drug-related offenses.

When police searched Murphy, they allegedly found a piece of foil containing a single pill, which was later identified as trazodone, a prescription anti-depressant. Murphy later told police Alimo gave him the pill to calm his nerves, according to the police report on the incident.

Murphy and Alimo were eventually found not guilty in their respective cases. Holland, however, appeared in Circuit Court last Thursday and was found guilty of possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail with all but 10 days suspended and was fined $500.

Cocaine Charges Upheld

OCEAN CITY- Kelly Jane Horton, 39, of Etters, Pa. appeared in Ocean City District Court this week, pleading guilty to charges of possession of cocaine.

According to police reports, on July 13, 2007, Ocean City Police performed a search and seizure at a Buckingham Hotel residence. Upon entering the room, police found the suspect as well as Horton. A variety of items were found in the room and confiscated, including nine grams of cocaine. At the time, Horton admitted to police that she smoked crack cocaine, but maintained that she did not sell it.

Horton was found guilty in District Court this week and given probation before judgment with a $557.50 fine and six months of unsupervised probation.

Not Guilty Plea Falls Though, Results in Jail Time

OCEAN CITY- A Bethany Beach man pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and resisting and interfering with an arrest this week in District Court, but was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 30 days to the county jail.

Officer Frank Soscia of the Ocean City Police Department testified that on December 26, around 2 a.m., he was at Fager’s Island assisting crowd control when he observed Anthony Magarelli, 22, being escorted out of the establishment. Magarelli was reportedly yelling and resisting security, and at one point grabbed the arm of one of the security guards and attempted to push him.

Soscia stepped in to assist, taking a hold of Magarelli and informing him that he was a police officer as he attempted to escort Magarelli away from the scene. Soscia maintained that Magarelli remained tense and would not come with him. As a result, Magarelli was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct.

After being reluctantly led to the police car, Magarelli reportedly began pushing and kicking himself away from the car, continuing to be un-cooperative with Soscia. Magarelli also issued a slew of profanities and insults at Soscia and other officers including, “you are all hillbillies, you are puppets of the man.”

Upon searching Magarelli, a baggie of marijuana was found, which was later proven to be .3 grams. Soscia noted that a caged vehicle was brought to the scene in order to transport Magarelli to the police station. Soscia also sustained damages to the fender of his vehicle from Magarelli.

Magarelli took the stand to testify, admitting that he was wrong to yell at Soscia, but maintaining that there was no reason for his arrest. According to Magarelli, he was simply walking out of the nightclub when the security guard startled him by grabbing him and pushing him out of the bar. Magarelli maintained that he did nothing wrong and was willfully leaving the establishment and was confused by the security guards actions. Magarelli also denied attempting to hit the security guard or Soscia, adding that Soscia had forced his face against the hot hood of the police car.

Despite Magarelli’s testimony, Judge Coolahan found him guilty on all counts, sentencing him to 30 days in the county jail for resisting or interfering with an arrest, a $250 fine for disorderly conduct and a $300 fine for possession of marijuana.

Possession Charges Stick

OCEAN CITY- An 18-year old Salisbury man pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine in District Court this week, after being arrested for the offense last summer outside of a local bar.

On August 12, 2007, Officer Mark Wolinsky reported to Seacrets and was informed by security staff that an individual, later identified as Terrell M. Holley, was being uncooperative at the door. Holley was reportedly claiming to be 24, despite identification that showed his age to be 23 as well as a picture that was clearly not Holley. Holley was observed removing his hand from his pocket and reaching toward another individual, passing something to him. A white plastic bag containing .9 grams of cocaine was quickly found on the ground and Holley was placed under arrest.

Holley was found guilty in District Court this week, receiving a $557.50 fine.

Hydorcodone Yields Jail Time

OCEAN CITY- A Denton, Md. man was sentenced to 30 days in the county jail this week in District Court, after being found guilty of possession of hydrocodone.

On June 30, 2007, Officer Joe Melena was on bicycle patrol in the area of 14th Street and St. Louis Avenue when he detected the smell of burnt marijuana. He observed two individuals walking close by, passing a burning cigarette between them. As Melena approached the two men, they dropped the burning cigarette, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, pulling out non-lit cigarettes hastily. Melena quickly found the cigarette that was thrown down and identified it as a joint. A search of one of the individuals, Harold Lee Brown, 25, revealed a white pill, which was later identified as hydorcodone.

Brown pleaded guilty to the offense this week in District Court and was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days to the county jail, to run concurrently to a four-year sentence that he is currently serving.